Blank-book cover.



J. W. GEARHART.

BLANK BOOK COVER.

APPLICATION FILED MAR.18,1013.

Patented July 28, 1914.

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JOHN W. GEARHART, OF FRESNO, CALIFORNIA.

BLANK-BOOK COVER.

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To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, J OHN WV. GEARHART, a citizen of the United States, residing at Fresno, in the county of Fresno and State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Blank-Book Covers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to covers for blank books of the type shown in application for Letters Patent, Serial Number 745,000, filed by me on Jan. 29, 1913, and wherein is included a clamp adapted to receive a filling, covers hingedly connected with said clamp and means whereby one side member of the cover is locked in fixed relation to the filler clamp, while the other side member of the cover is free to move, the construction being such that when the book is placed on a table or other support in readiness for use, the top member of the cover will be free to move and that, when the book is reversed, the cover member previously free to move and which is now the bottom member will become locked with respect to the filler clamp, while that cover member which is now on top will be free to move.

The principal object of the present invention is to produce novel and eflicient means whereby one side member of the cover is locked in fixed relation to the tiller clamp, which constitutes the back of the book, while the other cover member is free to move.

A further object of the invention is to improve the construction of the filler clamp to form a casing for the lock mechanism.

With these and other ends in view which will readily appear as the nature of the invention is better understood, the same consists in the improved construction and novel arrangement and combination of parts which will be hereinafter fully described and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawings has been illustrated a simple and preferred form of the invention, it being, however, understood that no limitation is necessarily made to the precisestructural details therein exhibited, but that changes, alterations and modifications within the scope of the claims may be resorted to when desired.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a perspective view illustrating a blank book cover constructed in accordance with the invention, the side members of the cover being folded or closed. Fig. 2 is a perspective detail view showing the top cover member Specification of Letters Patent.

Application filed March 18, 1913,

Patented July 28, 1914.

Serial No. 755,191.

raised to a position substantially at right angles to the book. Fig. 3 is a sectional detail view taken vertically through the back of the book cover substantially on the line 33 in Fig. 5, and showing the position assumed by the locking members when the top member of the cover is closed. Fig. 4 is a sectional view similar to Fig. 3, but showing the position assumed by the locking members when the top member of the cover is lifted in the act of opening the same. Fig. 5 is a horizontal sectional view taken on the line 5-5 in Fig. 3. Fig. 6 is a vertical sectional view taken on the line 6-6 in Fig. 4. F 7 is a perspective detail view of one of the locking members. Fig. 8 is a perspective detail view of one of the pintles.

Corresponding parts in the several figures are denoted by like characters of reference.

The filler clamp 10 is made of a piece of sheet metal of suitable gage to supply ample strength and rigidity for the purpose desired, and the strip of sheet metal constituting the clamp is terminally bent to present hooks 11 adapted to engage notches 12 in the blank book A which constitutes the filler. Said blank book, as illustrated in Fig. 2, is provided with a cover 13 which may be of ordinary cardboard, and the leaves of the filler are weakened, as indicated at 14, in accordance with the construction shown in a patent previously granted to me, the purpose of thus weakening the leaves being to cause them to lie flat when turned over.

The strip of metal constituting the filler clamp 10 is provided at its upper and lower edges with lugs or wings 15 which are bent rearwardly and in the direction of each other, until the free edges of said lugs meet or abut on one another, said abutting edges being secured together along the meeting line 16, see Figs. 1 and 6, by electric welding or in any other convenient manner, so that the said wings or lugs 15 with the body strip 10 will constitute a casing within which the working parts of the device are accommodated. Secured on the back of the body strip, adjacent to the ends of the casing formed by the lugs or wings 15, are bear ing blocks 17, 17 each of said bearing blocks being firmly secured by a fastening member, such as a screw or rivet 18, by welding or in any other suitable manner.

The side members B of the book cover each includes a plate 19 of sheet metal, each of which is provided at one end adjacent to the side edges thereof with hinge sleeves 20, 20, said sleeves being formed by suitably bending or coiling lugs or extensions 21, 21 of said sheet metal plate, said lugs or extensions being clearly seen in Figs. 4 and.

6. In the sleeves 20 of the two cover members, which are directly opposed to each other, pintles 22 are firmly secured, preferably by means of electric welding, although for the purpose of indicating the mechanical connection between the parts, fastening members in the nature of pins 23 have been gagement with correspondingly threaded sleeves 26 carried by the locking members C, each of said locklng members including a pmtle 27 that extends into a bearlng formed by a bearing 28 in the-block 17", the

- pintle members being connected with the sleeves by diagonal or obliquely disposed bars 29, said bars being disposed crosswise with respect to each other, and each being recessed on its meeting face to accommodate the other bar. The recesses in the meeting faces 30 of said bars will permit the locking members to slide freely with re spect to one another. Eachof the pintle members 27 is provided at the extremity thereof which extends Within one ofthe bores 28 with a notch 31.

The hinge sleeves 20 of the two cover members are. provided with pintles 32 which are firmly connected therewith by welding orby fastening means, such as pins Each pint-le member 32 extends through. the; sleeve 20 within one offthe bores; 28 ofjthe proximate block 17', and each of saidrpintleImembers 32 is equipped with a .slidably supported spring actuated. lug 34 adapted to engage the notch 31 of the proximate pintle member 27. The parts. are so proportioned that normally when t-heside members of the book cover areclosed, the lugs 34fwill barely project into'the ,recessses 31, and said lugs are,

moreover, rounded, .as clearly seen in Fig. 8 soas tobe readily retracted when one of the book covers is raised or thrown open, Each lug34 .is carried by a stem'35 which is seated in a socket 36 in one of the pintle members 32,,said socket also containing a spring, 37, whereby the stem 35 carrying the lug 34 is normally forced outward.

. The pintle member 35 is, moreover, bifurcated, as shown at 38, to accommodate'the lug. 34; means such as a transverse pin 39 being provlded to assemble the parts,

It will be seen from the foregoing that the locking members G are accommodated in the housing formed by the body strip 10 and the lugs 0r wings 15, together with the blocks 17. Each cover member has associated therewith a pintle 22 and a pintle member 32, thelatter being adapted to cooperate with the pintle member 27 of one of the locking members C. Normally, when the side members of the book cover are closedupon the filler, the locking members Ciare retracted with respect to the block 17 through which the p111tlS "of the cover members extend; When the book 1s-la1d down flat on a table or other support and one cover member is raised, as seen in. Fig.- 4, the corresponding locking member C will be forced in the direction-of the block 17, and it will be obvious that owing. to the-position of the book, the locking member which is actuated will have its pintle member 27 extending. within the bore 28 of the block 17, which at the time is lowermost,

or adjacent to the bottom cover member. In the act of raising the top cover member, the pintle member 32 associated therewith will be turned about its axis, and the lug 34 will thus be turned at an angle to the recess 31 in the opposed pintle member 27 At the same time the pintle member 27 of the locking memberC which is being projected by the action of the screw threaded pintle associated with the top cover will receive the lug 34 ot the opposed pintle member 32 within its recess 31, and the lug-34 being nonrotatable about itsaxis-will, thus enter into locking engagement with the op posed pintle member 0t the clocking-member C whichhas been projected. It will f' be seen, then, that'the'bottom member of 106 together to form a housing,-and locking dc vices insaid 7 housing.

2. In a bookjcover,a back member consistingoffa sheet metal body provided along its upper, and-lower edges with wings, said wings being bent toward each other. and connected together to form a housing, locking H devices; in said housing, and1hingd side members adapted to be engaged by; the lockinghmembers.

3; In a book cover, aback member consisting of a sheet, metal body having oppositely extending wings, said wings being bent to ward each other and connected together to form a housing, bearing blocks secured on the back member adjacent to the housing formed by the Wings, and locking members in said housing.

4t. In a book cover, a back member constituting a filler clamp and a housing, hearing blocks secured on the back member and each provided with transverse bores, side cover members having sleeves, pintles secured in the sleeves and engaging the bores of the blocks, and locking devices within the housing.

5. In a book cover, a back member having a housing, bearing blocks secured on the back member and having transverse bores, locking members within the housing, said locking members including diagonal cross bars each having a notched pintle member extending within a bore of the proximate bearing block, and a screw threaded sleeve positioned adjacent to the other bearing block, side cover members provided with sleeves adjacent to the respective bearing blocks, a pintle seated in a sleeve of each side member and having a threaded end extending through a bore of the proximate bearing block and engagin the threaded sleeve positioned adjacent t ereto, and pintle members secured in other sleeves of the side members and extending within bores of the proximate bearing block in the direction of the notched pintle members of the locking members, said pintle members which are secured in the sleeves of the side cover members being provided with slidable spring projected members.

6. In a book cover, a back member, hearing blocks associated therewith and each having two transverse bores, side cover members having pintles engaging said bores and projecting in the direction of each other, and slidably disposed locking members actuated by a pintle of one cover member and adapted for locking enga ement with a pintle of the other cover mem er.

7. In a book cover, a back member having bearing blocks each provided with two transverse bores, pintles supported for rotation in said bores, side cover members each having fixed connection with two pintles, and slidable locking members supported lntermediate the bearing blocks, each of said locking members having threaded connection with a pintle of a cover member and adapted for locking engagement with a pintle ot the other cover member.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

JOHN W. GEARHART.

Witnesses:

M. CAMERON, JAS. W. GEARHART.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the "Commissioner of Patents. Washington, I). 0. 

